Trudeau says immigration gives Canada ‘competitive advantage’ over U.S.Canada's new immigration levels plan could widen gap if U.S. immigration levels are left as they are or reduced

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada’s immigration policies are giving it a big advantage over the United States when it comes to attracting business.

“We’re a country that’s open to immigration right now,” he said earlier this week, on the eve of the November 6 U.S. mid-term elections. “Being able to get the top talent and draw on big pools of well-educated, ambitious, forward-thinking and diverse [people] is a hell of a competitive advantage that I don’t see the U.S. matching anytime soon.”

Trudeau made the remarks in an appearance at the Fortune Most Powerful Women International Summit in Montreal, which brought together women CEOs, thought leaders, entrepreneurs and senior representatives of the Canadian government.

Trudeau said Canadians are “positively inclined” toward immigration and said they know from Canada’s experience over generations and centuries that immigrants have “created our success.”

“We are able to take in almost one per cent of our population every year in immigration — a little over 300,000 — and we’re able to do that because it’s a system that Canadians have confidence in; it’s rules-based, it’s controlled,” he said.

Last week, Trudeau’s Liberal government unveiled its new immigration levels plan, which will see admissions of new permanent residents through Canada’s economic, family and refugee / humanitarian programs reach nearly one per cent of Canada’s population in 2021.

In a talk last month, Canada’s Minister of Science, Innovation and Economic Development, Navdeep Bains, described his government’s immigration policies as a key element of Canada’s “value proposition,” especially in the current geopolitical climate.

“Immigration policies really differentiate [Canada],” Bains said. “When you’re seeing the rise of anti-immigrant sentiments, populist politics, nationalism, and our brand in Canada is that we’re open — open to trade, open to investment, open to people — that brand, that openness is so critical.”

Canada’s updated immigration levels plan calls for welcoming 310,000 new permanent residents this year, a number that will rise to 330,800 in 2019, 341,000 in 2020 and hit 350,000 in 2021.

Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Ahmed Hussen, said the plan will provide vital support for Canada’s economy, which is facing widespread labour shortages as the Canadian population ages and a rising number of workers retire.

“Growing immigration levels, particularly in the Economic Class, will help us sustain our labour force, support economic growth and spur innovation,” he said.